George Bedborough

George Bedborough Higgs
Born	St Giles, London, England
Died	7 August 1940(1940-08-07) (aged 72) Cambridge, England
Occupation(s)	Author, editor, social reform advocate, journalist, bookseller
Known for	Advocacy of freethought, atheism, secularism, eugenics, vegetarianism, animal rights, birth control, free love; Secretary of the Legitimation League; editor of The Adult and The Children's Realm

George Bedborough Higgs (10 January 1868 – 7 August 1940) was an English author, editor, social reform advocate, journalist, and bookseller engaged in progressive movements during late 19th and early 20th-century Britain. He championed causes including freethought, atheism, secularism, eugenics, vegetarianism, animal rights, birth control, the legitimization of illegitimate children, and free love. Serving as secretary of the Legitimation League, Bedborough also edited its publication, The Adult: A Journal for the Advancement of Freedom in Sexual Relationships. He contributed to various journals and collaborated with reformers such as Henry S. Salt and Ernest Bell.

In 1898, Bedborough faced legal action for distributing materials considered obscene, including a book on homosexuality by Havelock Ellis alongside other writings labeled indecent. The trial, known as Regina v. Bedborough, attracted widespread public interest and prompted the creation of a Free Speech Defence Committee, supported by prominent figures like George Bernard Shaw, Edward Carpenter, and G. W. Foote. Bedborough pleaded guilty and was fined £100 (), agreeing to dissociate from the League and its journal. This choice was criticized by former supporters, and he later expressed remorse, describing it as an act of cowardice.

Following the trial, Bedborough redirected his efforts toward ethical vegetarianism and animal welfare advocacy. He took on the role of editor for The Children's Realm, a vegetarian magazine aimed at young readers, and produced fiction, poetry, and aphorisms promoting animal compassion while critiquing religious doctrines. His notable works include The Atheist (1919), a poem endorsing atheism and vegetarianism, and Prayer: An Indictment (1938), which challenges the practice of prayer. After spending time in the United States, he returned to England and passed away in Cambridge in 1940.

Early life and education

George Bedborough Higgs was born on 10 January 1868 in St Giles, London. His father, Edward Squance Higgs, had formerly served as a preacher in the Church of England, while his mother was a poet. Educated at Dulwich College, he began working at age sixteen and co-founded the Workhouse Aid Society with W. T. Stead. Subsequently, Bedborough pursued university studies.

In 1887, he took part in the Trafalgar Square event known as Bloody Sunday. His writing appeared in several publications including the Sunday Chronicle, Shafts, University Magazine, Newcastle Weekly Chronicle, and South London Mail. He maintained close associations with reformers such as Henry S. Salt, Bertram Dobell, and Ernest Bell.

Between 1891 and 1892, Bedborough was a member of the National Society of Lanternists, occasionally serving as a lantern operator and giving lectures.

On 18 April 1892, he married Louisa Fisher at St George's Church in Jesmond, Northumberland. Their marriage was practical in nature and included an open relationship agreement.

Bedborough played an active role in the Legitimation League, editing its journal The Adult: A Journal for the Advancement of freedom in Sexual Relationships from 1897 to 1898. The League promoted the legitimation of children born out of wedlock alongside advocating for free love principles. His wife acted as treasurer for the League.

Regina v. Bedborough

On 31 May 1898, George Bedborough was detained along with sex-radical feminist Lillian Harman on charges related to obscenity for allegedly attempting to "corrupt the morals of Her Majesty's Subjects." He faced eleven counts including distributing Havelock Ellis' Studies in the Psychology of Sex Vol. 2, which addressed homosexuality, to an undercover agent; additionally, other pamphlets considered indecent were involved, such as one authored by Oswald Dawson, founder of the Legitimation League. Articles published within The Adult also contributed to his indictment.

Although not personally an anarchist, Bedborough came under surveillance due to suspected anarchist connections linked to the League and acted as London correspondent for the American anarchist periodical Lucifer the Lightbearer.

A Free Speech Defence Committee was established to support him featuring individuals like Henry Seymour, Frank Harris, Edward Carpenter, George Bernard Shaw, G. W. Foote, Mona Caird, and Grant Allen. Nevertheless, shortly before trial proceedings commenced, Bedborough cooperated with authorities by pleading guilty on three counts. This action led to denunciation by the committee who then publicized details surrounding his case.

On 31 October 1898, Bedborough received a £100 fine for selling Ellis' book. He consented to end his involvement with both the League and its publication The Adult. In December that year, he acknowledged his inability to justify his actions while expressing appreciation toward his supporters despite feeling he had inadequately reciprocated their efforts.

Activism for vegetarianism and animal rights

Bedborough adopted vegetarianism in 1902 following a visit to Moses Harman’s residence. He recounted encountering pervasive slaughterhouse odors in Chicago; Harman proposed inspecting meat-packing plants to test his commitment. This experience converted him into a dedicated advocate for vegetarianism and animal welfare.

In 1906, Bedborough assumed editorship of The Children's Realm, a publication produced by both the Vegetarian Federal Union and London Vegetarian Society. He managed this magazine until its closure in 1914, contributing extensively to encourage empathy among children by drawing parallels between animal suffering and human oppression. His writings critiqued societal cruelty while promoting respect toward all living creatures; however, these views were influenced by prevailing imperialist attitudes of his time.

His 1913 tale "The Isle of Vegetariana," published within The Children's Realm, offers an allegorical narrative addressing animal welfare and vegetarian ethics. The story is set on an island inhabited solely by animals where Mr. Smith—a butcher—arrives intending exploitation but ultimately abandons his trade after witnessing their peaceful yet resolute resistance.

In 1914, Bedborough released Stories from the Children's Realm, a children’s book emphasizing themes such as animal rights, opposition to vivisection, and vegetarianism; it included illustrations by L. A. Hayter who had previously contributed artwork to the magazine.

Later life and career

Between 1907 and 1910, Bedborough contributed to Moses Harman’s American Journal of Eugenics and participated in feminist discourse through engagement with The Freewoman during 1911–1912. He also served as London correspondent for the American periodical Labour World.

His literary output included three volumes of aphorisms—Narcotics and a Few Stimulants, Vacant Chaff Well Meant for Grain, and Subtilty to the Simple—as well as a collection of epigrams titled Vulgar Fractions. In 1919 he published The Atheist, a poem endorsing atheism while condemning animal slaughter; this work was dedicated to Anatole France.

During the interwar decades of the 1920s and ’30s, Bedborough reengaged with secularist circles through contributions to The Freethinker. Noteworthy articles include a 1936 critique targeting the Ku Klux Klan and a reflective piece on Havelock Ellis published in 1939. He also wrote for the Birth Control Review. In 1934 he issued Arms and the Clergy, compiling clerical statements from World War I; this was followed by his secular critique entitled Prayer: An Indictment released in 1938.

In 1927 Bedborough emigrated to the United States settling in Chicago where he worked as an "author and literary advisor"; meanwhile his wife lived separately in Mayville, Wisconsin. Returning to Britain aboard the RMS Aquitania in 1931, he later moved to Cambridge where he died on 7 August 1940 at age seventy-two.

Selected publications

• Narcotics and a Few Stimulants (1913)
• Vacant Chaff Well Meant for Grain (1914)
• Stories from the "Children's Realm" (Vegetarian Federal Union, 1914)
• Wordsworth: A Lecture (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1913)
• The Bright Side and Other Verses (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1915)
• The Dogs of War, and Other Stories (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1915)
• Vulgar Fractions (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1915)
• Subtilty to the Simple (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1916)
• Harmony or Humbug? An examination of Mr. Ralph Waldo Trine's book "In Tune with the Infinite." (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1917)
• Love and Happiness: Letters to Tolstoy, Written in 1897 and Now First Published (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1917)
• Sayings of George Bedborough (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1917)
• The Will to Love (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1917)
• Dark Sayings, with Some Fair Ones (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1918)
• Not Only Men (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1918)
• The Atheist (Letchworth: Garden City Press, 1919)
• Arms and the Clergy, 1914–1918 (London: Pioneer Press, 1934)
• Prayer: An Indictment (London: Pioneer Press, 1938)